Change of Heart
by klarolinefictionlover
Summary: This story starts after Klaus argues with Elijah in the woods. Feeling angry that all Klaus wants is someone to show him kindness and love, who sees the best in him instead of the worst, I started writing this story.
1. Chapter 1

Klaus ran. He didn't care where he was going, or where he ended up. After his fight with Elijah and Hayley in the woods, rage filled his body. Blood pumped in his ears. No one ever believed he was capable of good, not even his own family. They always expected the worst.

He ended up in a small town. After draining several bodies he ran again. Klaus eventually stopped in the middle of another town, and sat down on a bench. The blood he'd consumed and the bodies he'd bled dry didn't help his mood. If anything, he felt angrier. He put his hand over his face and just sat.

In the back of his subconscious, he registered that someone behind him was throwing out their garbage. There was silence for a moment, then soft footsteps headed towards him. Someone touched him on the shoulder, and he whipped his face up to face them.

"Excuse me, I'm sorry if I disturbed you." He didn't respond.

"Um… I was just bringing out my garbage and saw you sitting here. It looks like you're having a rough night."

Klaus was about to jump up and drain the puny human in front of him for disturbing his wallowing. He felt his nose flaring, and his chest heaving.

The woman in front of him took a step back.

"Look, I know you don't know me. But, I know when I'm having a rough time, another person being there can help. I was just about to have my dinner. I have plenty if you'd like to join me." She smiled at him.

Klaus felt his expression change. His anger began to dissipate and he tilted his head to look at her. Why would this person offer to give him dinner? "What's the catch? What is it you want?"

She looked surprised. "I don't want anything from you. Haven't you ever had someone do something nice for you, just because they wanted to?"

"No," he said resolutely.

"Well that's a crying shame. And it's high time it happened. Please, will you have dinner with me?"

Klaus was shocked. He stood up, and the woman offered her hand. She smiled encouragingly, and he looked from it to her face. She had dark brown hair and hazel eyes that shown brightly. Klaus felt something stir in his stomach as he met her eyes. She reached down and took his hand, leading him up to her house. This wasn't how he'd expected the evening to go. She opened the door and walked in, but he couldn't follow. Turning around, she saw he hadn't entered. Smiling at him, she took his hand again, telling him to come in.

He stepped into her kitchen, smelling the air. Chicken and spices, some vegetables and noodles. The woman went over to the stove and pulled out a pan of bread rolls. The sounds of a Celtic flute filled the room.

Klaus looked around at the home he'd just been invited into. It was indeed a home and not just a house. And he actually felt welcome here.

"Can I get you something to drink? I have tea, milk, or water. Oh and a beer if you want one."

"I'll take the beer," he said as he removed his coat. She handed it to him and he flipped of the top with his nail, taking a deep swallow. "That's pretty cool, I've never see someone do that with just their nail. I'm impressed." She folded her arms in front of her, and then she laughed. Klaus stared at her. There was joy that seemed to come from deep inside her. All of a sudden she hit her forehead with the palm of her hand. "I'm sorry, where are my manners? I'm Elizabeth. My friends call me Lizzy.

"Klaus."

"Well, it's nice to meet you Klaus. Have a seat, I'll get your dinner.

He pulled out a chair and sat, watching her zip around the kitchen. First she pulled the rolls out the oven, and then got bowls for their soup. Next she pulled a bowl of salad from the refrigerator and sat it down in front of him. She put a couple bottles of salad dressing next to it, and butter for the rolls. Then she sat down next to him, yawning while covering her mouth. Then she laughed at herself, apologizing and assuring him that it wasn't because she found him boring. This brought a slight smile to his face. She put him at ease, made him relax. She explained she'd been up since six that morning; she'd just had a long day.

They ate in silence for a while, listening to the music in the background. Lizzy was being very respectful of him, giving him space.

"Thank you for inviting me to dinner. It's delicious." Klaus wasn't accustomed to eating real food. But he could get used to this. Lizzy was a very good cook.

She smiled easily at him. "You're welcome Klaus. Anytime."

"So Lizzy, tell me about yourself."

"Well, there's a lot to tell, so you'll have to be more specific."

Klaus chuckled. "How old are you? Are you going to college?

"Don't you know it's rude to ask someone how old they are?'

Klaus' smile disappeared. "Oh my gosh, I'm kidding, don't take it so seriously." She laughed again. "I'm 25. I'm going to the local collage. Graphic design is my major. I have so much fun manipulating images, and making something out of nothing. But as much as I love that, my favorite is my art classes. I love to draw and paint."

Klaus was instantly interested. "Really? I'm a bit of an artist myself."

"That's awesome. I'd love to see your work sometime. Would you like to see mine?"

He smiled at the offer. "I would be honored." She got up from the table and went to get her portfolio. He walked to her living room and sat down on her couch while he waited. Lizzy came back a moment later and began to lay her artwork on the coffee table in front of him. Then she went to the kitchen to make some tea.

Lizzy had a gift. Klaus looked at her work, and most of it was quite beautiful. "You'll have to excuse my charcoal drawings. They're terrible." He chuckled, and he had to agree they weren't the best, but they certainly weren't the worst he'd ever seen.

"I've seen worse, Lizzy."

She laughed, walked back into the living room and sat down beside him. "You're being nice. I hate using charcoal. It just… I can't ever get it to do what I want. And it always leaves black dust everywhere, and it leaves my fingers black from rubbing in the shadows. The fact that I'm not comfortable with it comes across when you see it."

Klaus looked at her, really looked at her. She was very beautiful. Her hair was long, and in a braid hanging over her right shoulder. And when he looked in her eyes, he couldn't look away.

He noticed the blood rising to her cheeks. She was embarrassed. "Why are you blushing?"

Lizzy looked down for a moment, and then met his eyes again. Klaus heard her heart skip a beat. "Because when you look at me, I can't help but feel like you're looking into my soul. That you're seeing my deepest dreams and desires. And, I don't know you at all. I don't know a thing about you and I shouldn't feel this way. I shouldn't feel such a connection to you, so drawn to you." It skipped another beat and she chewed on her lip. "And… I really want you to kiss me."

Klaus was surprised by her admission. He reached up to touch her face and put a stray piece of hair behind her ear. His thumb rubbed her cheek. Then he leaned forward, and gently kissed her lips. She responded and softly kissed him back. She sighed, and relaxed against him. Klaus deepened the kiss, and put his other arm around her shoulders. He heard her heart skip another beat, and she scooted closer to him, putting a hand on both sides of his face. After a minute, she broke apart, and leaned her forehead against his, a smile on her face.

"Thank you," she said so softly he might not have heard her if he wasn't a vampire.

"For what," he questioned her.

A smile lit up her face. "For giving me such a lovely evening."

Klaus smiled back at her. His arm was still around her shoulders, and he lay down on the couch, pulling her with him. "It is I who should be thanking you. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

She nuzzled her face into his neck and situated herself beside him, wrapping her arm around his stomach. She never acted like this, had never been this spontaneous with someone she just met. But there was something about Klaus that just pulled her in like a magnate. She hoped he would give her the chance to find out what it was. "I'm glad I met you Klaus."

He took a deep breath. "Please, call me Nick."

"Ok Nick." She smiled into his chest, and then fell right to sleep.

Klaus wrapped both his arms around her, and looked down at her face. It was blanketed with such a peaceful expression; he decided not to disturb her by leaving. When was the last time a woman was in his arms just because she wanted to be? That didn't involve drinking, like it had with Hayley. He began to feel warmth deep inside him; a smile crept onto his face. What an unexpected change of events.


	2. Chapter 2

All to soon Lizzy woke up. Klaus felt her move away from him, but he pretended to be asleep. He heard her walk to the kitchen and pick something up, then open a door and take something out. After climbing back on the couch, she put a blanket over both of them. He felt her head on his shoulder again, then herd a few clicks. Opening his eyes, he saw a cell phone in front of his face.

All of a sudden, he felt very aggravated. "Lizzy, why are you taking pictures of me while I'm trying to sleep?"

She looked at him sheepishly. "Because tonight felt so dreamlike, I wanted proof it was real."

Every bit of aggravation left him immediately. She wanted a memory of him? A picture of them together? He took her cell phone from her, leaned down to kiss her, and snapped another picture. She chuckled, and took her phone back. "That's even better." Snuggling up to him and pulling the blanket up, she fell asleep again quickly. Klaus took her phone from her hand and pulled up the picture he'd taken. Then he sent it to himself. Perhaps it was selfish, but this had been the best night of his life, he wanted the memento. And now he had her number. This knowledge brought a smile to his face and he pulled Lizzy tighter to his body. She smelled like lilacs blooming in the spring. Klaus relaxed, and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Klaus woke up the next morning feeling more rested and relaxed then he had in a long time. Lizzy was still curled up against him, her leg wrapped around his, and her arm around his stomach. She made him feel desired, that he was worth wanting. He kept very still so he wouldn't wake her up. After about half an hour of listening to her breathing, he felt a smile begin on his face. He felt... happy. When was the last time he felt that? Lizzy groaned and hid her face in his armpit, pulling the blanket up to cover her head.

He chuckled. "Love, what are you doing?"

"Hiding from the sun," came her muffled response.

"And why is that?"

She peeked our from under the blanket. "Because I'm enjoying this, and I don't want it to end." Then she covered her head again.

In a flash he pulled the blanket up over his face so he was in the dark with her. "Who says it has to end?"

She cleared her throat. "Everyone. Cuz life happens."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. She smiled against him and moaned a little.

After a few moments of silence, Klaus asked her, "Are you a morning person or a night person?"

"It depends on how alert I am in the morning. Usually I'm a night person, but sometime I wake up fully awake."

"Is this a fully awake morning?"

"Don't know yet... let me get back to you."

"Lizzy, what's on your agenda today?"

She pulled the blanket down so she could see his face. "It's Saturday, so a little homework. I have nothing planned in particular. Why do you ask?"

Klaus felt a little nervous. "I was wondering if you would spend the day with me."

Her face lit up. "I'd like that. What did you have in mind?"

"You tell me, love. Whatever you want to do."

Her lips puckered in thought. "How about breakfast at the local café? And then we can go to the park so I can paint my picture for class. When I'm done, we can have a picnic. Do you need to go home and get clothes or something?"

His face darkened for a moment. "No, I'll pick up some new clothes while we're out getting breakfast."

"Alright, sounds like a plan. I'm going to shower and get dressed. Make yourself at home. She kissed his lips quickly, then hopped up and left the room.

Klaus sat up, and looked around. Her artwork was still on the coffee table from the night before, so he gently picked it up and put it safely in her portfolio. He didn't want any of it becoming bent or harmed. Even her least liked charcoal drawings. The reminder brought the sides of his lips up in a small smile.

He pulled his phone out while he was waiting for Lizzy. He pulled up the picture he'd sent himself from her phone and saved the number. Then he stared at the picture. He liked what he saw. How was it that someone he just met trusted him so much right away? He was a predator, she should sense that. But he found himself feeling glad that she was the way she was. He didn't want her to be afraid of him. Klaus wanted her to trust him. And he didn't want to hurt her.

Klaus wondered briefly how Elijah and Hayley were doing. Had the hallucinations started yet? He needed to think about something else, or he was going to be broody over breakfast. And Lizzy didn't deserve that. He got up and began walking around her living room. She had a copy of _Starry Night _over her mantle. He smirked; he had the original. There were pictures of Lizzy and another woman and 3 children. A picture of a couple that he guessed were her parents. Then one of her and a young boy, maybe 9 or so. He looked very much like her. Her little brother perhaps?

Before long Lizzy came skipping down the stairs behind him. He turned to look at her. She was dressed in a slimming grey tank top and dark blue low rider jeans that hugged her figure perfectly. She had a black leather belt on and a pair of black leather sandals. Her hair was still wet, but pulled into a braid that again hung over her shoulder. She didn't wear much makeup, but then again, she didn't need it. She was stunning.

"You look beautiful," he said as she walked over to him.

She blushed, but didn't look away. "Thank you, Nick." She grabbed his hand, and pulled him to the door. "Let's go eat."

* * *

Lizzy drove them to the café. She parked, and grabbed her purse, but as she went to open her door, was surprised to find Klaus had already opened it. "Quite the gentleman. Thanks." She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the restaurant. Klaus felt a little awkward, he wasn't used to public displays of affection. He wasn't sure how he felt about it. He opened the door for Lizzy, and she walked over to a booth, pulling him in next to her.

Klaus looked around, making sure there was no one around he knew. He didn't want Lizzy to be in any danger. He felt very protective of her. And he still didn't know what town he was in. Sensing no other vampires, he turned his attention back to her.

She'd picked up a menu and was reading the options. "What are you in the mood for, Nick?"

He really had no idea; he wasn't much of a food person. However, if he was going to be around Lizzy much, that would have to change. "What do you recommend, love?"

"My favorite thing here is the Beef Bowls. They take a few slices of roast beef, put it in a bowl, put some salsa and shredded cheese in it, and top it with an egg and more cheese. Then they bake it. It comes with hash browns and a little avocado and tomato salad. It's so good!"

Klaus smiled at her enthusiasm, and found himself wanting to kiss her, to touch her. Instead he distracted himself with the menu. He looked around at what other people were eating. Hayley liked fried eggs and hash browns, and he knew those didn't smell revolting. So that's what he ordered when the waitress came over.

"Since you didn't order what I recommended, you have to try mine."

"I think I can live with that," he smirked at her. "Now, last night you talked to me about college and art. Tell me more about yourself."

Lizzy grabbed his arm and put it around her. "Is this ok," she whispered, looking uncertain. Klaus didn't know what to say, he wasn't used to this. So he tightened his arm around her, pulling her closer. "Of course." If she wanted to be close to him, there was no way he'd turn her away.

Her face lit up at his response. She chatted about her college classes until their food arrived. How much she loved the artistic stuff, and hated the boring stuff such as English and Math. If she could get away with it, she'd skip it. "Sadly, there are always things in life we have to do that we don't want to."

After a few bites of her food, she piled her fork and offered it to him. "You have to try this Nick, it's so good." He took the food in his mouth, and had to admit she was right. Maybe he'd been missing out all these centuries, only drinking blood. He was enjoying his food, but Lizzy's was better. So when she was distracted, he reached over and stole a bite.

"Hey, you're stealing my food!" But she couldn't help but laugh. "I told you they were good."

"And you were absolutely correct. I should have listened to you and ordered that instead."

"Maybe you'll listen to me next time," she smirked at him as she stole a bite off his plate.

"And now you're stealing from my plate. I have to warn you love, I don't take kindly to thievery." His face was serious. But it only made her laugh.

After breakfast they stopped by a men's store so Klaus could buy some clothes. He knew he would have to return home eventually, though at the moment there was no inclination to. He was quite content spending his time with Lizzy. This was confirmed after they got to the local park. She pulled out her paints and some paper. As he watched her, she zoned out and focused on her painting. There was complete silence between them as she worked, and he watched. He suddenly wished for his own supplies, he could so easily picture them working side by side. There was just something about Lizzy that he couldn't shake. He wanted to be near her, as close as possible. He felt drawn to her, like she'd said last night. Could anyone really be this genuine and good? Was it truly possible?


	3. Chapter 3

It was two hours before Lizzy finished her painting. Oddly enough, Klaus didn't mind. He was not usually a patient person, but he enjoyed watching her work.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry that took so long," she said as she lay down on the blanket beside him.

Klaus smirked, and replied, "I've got all the time in the world, love."

"What do you do for a living," she asked while rolling over to look at him.

"I'm an investor. And as I said, I'm an artist, I also sell my work."

"Really? So are you famous then?"

_Yes, but not in any way you want to know about. _"I don't think I'd call myself famous."

"What's your last name," she asked as she pulled out her phone.

"You cannot be serious, you're not going look me up on your cell phone."

She couldn't stop laughing. "Of course I'm going to google you. I want to see your artwork."

"Lizzy, I would prefer you wait and see the real thing, and not a teeny picture."

"Alright Nick. I can be patient. As long as you don't take to long to show me."

A light breeze picked up, carrying her scent into Klaus' face.

"It's such a nice day. I'm glad we didn't stay on my couch and miss it. Especially when it can be better right here." She slid over and curled up against him, laying her head on her chest. "I want you to know, I'm not like this. I've never met someone that I could just be like this with. It's just … I feel like I've known you my whole life. I can't help but want to be as close to you as I can." She rolled up so she could look him in the eye. "There's just something about you and I can't explain it."

Klaus looked at her, reveling in her words. No one had ever said anything like this to him before. And he could tell by the look in her eyes that she was completely sincere.

"I'm not like this either, Lizzy." He looked away for a moment, then back to her eyes. "You bring out a side of me that I didn't know existed."

Her face lit up at his words. She scooted up on his chest and kissed him lightly. Klaus reached up, grabbing both sides of her face, and pulled her back to him. Her lips parted, and his tongue slipped into her mouth, tasting her, feeling her. He felt her heart skip a beat. Klaus rolled over so she was under him, and worked his way down her chin to her neck. The smell of her blood was very tempting, but he was old enough to not worry about losing control.

They were disturbed by someone clearing their throat. Lizzy stood up right away. "Brian." Klaus stood up as well, irritated at the man who'd disrupted them.

"Liz, seriously, who the hell is this? And in case you forgot, this is a public place. You're not 15 anymore." He crossed his muscular arms. "You haven't called me back."

Lizzy crossed her arms and looked at the man in front of her. "I didn't call you back because I already answered your question last week."

"And your answer was what?"

She sighed, looking defeated. "You can see Josh next Sunday when Brenda brings him over."

"What time?"

"Around 4."

"That's bull shit, I have to work at 5:30."

Lizzy held her hands up. "That's not my problem Brian, I told you a week ago, you could have changed your schedule."

He took a step closer and shoved his finger in her face. "I get to see my kid once a month, you had better arrange for me to see him longer then an hour."

Klaus stepped between them and shoved Brian back. "Or else what?"

Brian looked right past him. "Liz, who the hell is this?"

Before she could respond, Klaus grabbed Brian around his neck and dragged him away from her.

After a few paces, Klaus stopped and forced Brian to look at him. "You will never speak to her that way again. If you have a problem with the times she gives you, you will change your schedule to fit her needs. If you cause her a problem again, I will break your jaw. She will contact you if she needs to; otherwise you are to leave her at peace. Now go away." Klaus finished his compulsion, and Brian walked away.

Klaus walked back to Lizzy, and took her in his arms. "Are you alright, love?"

He heard her sniff, like she was fighting back tears. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "I will be. Thank you for standing up for me. No one's ever done that before." He leaned back and took her face in his hands, using his thumbs to wipe away her tears. "Anytime, love." She tried to smile through her tears, and pulled him close again. After a few minutes, she said she was ready to leave. They hadn't touched the food she packed, but neither of them was particularly hungry. Klaus grabbed the blanket while she packed her art supplies and picked up her painting. The walked back to her car, and Klaus offered to drive.

"Thanks, I'd like that."

They drove back to her house in silence, Klaus knowing exactly where they were going. After parking and unloading the car, Lizzy put her painting up on her easel in the corner of the living room. She looked at it for several minutes. Klaus sat on the couch waiting for her to talk.

Finally she turned around and walked over to him, curling up on the couch next to him. She laid her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her.

"I met Brian when I was 15. My parents had just died in a car accident. I was completely lost, and… he was a complete jerk, but I turned to him with all my pain. He got me into partying, drinking, and eventually convinced me that having sex with him would help me heal. I was stupid, and I listened." She sniffed again. "It only happened a few times, but I ended up getting pregnant. When I told him, he brushed me off, didn't want anything more to do with me." Klaus' jaw clamped tight at that information. "I was living with my sister Clara at the time, she was in college. But after I found out about being pregnant, I went to live with my sister Brenda. She was married, and already had a baby."

"She was really supportive all through my pregnancy; she was there for the birth. And I was 16, I could barely take care of myself, let alone a baby. So I signed legal guardianship of Josh over to her. She's a great mom, and she loves him like one of her own. He even calls her mom." A tear slid down her face. "I miss him a lot. I get to see him every couple of weeks. To him though, I'm his fun 'Aunt Lizzy.' A few years ago Brian decided he wanted to be a part of Josh's life. I don't like it, because he's just… a horrible person so much of the time. But he's still Josh's dad. It's part of the deal though that Brian doesn't tell Josh who he really is. I never let them be alone together, because I know Brian can't be trusted. I don't think Josh has any idea who he really is."

Not knowing what to say, Klaus pulled her onto his lap and just held her. "Sorry, I know that was really heavy."

"Lizzy, you don't ever have to apologize for telling me anything." He looked her in the eye so she knew he was serious. "But now that you are mature enough to be his guardian, why don't you take him back?"

She put her head against his. "There are times I'd like to. But he's already established there. My sisters kids are his siblings. He sees her as his mom. So I just do my best to be happy with what I get."

He took a deep breath and sighed. "I'm in a bit of a rough patch with a child myself."

She gave him a sympathetic look. "Really?"

Klaus looked at the floor, not wanting to meet her eyes while telling his story. "About four months ago, I had a drunken one night stand with someone named Hayley. Now she's pregnant, and living with my family. And," he took a deep breath, "it looks as if she and my brother are falling in love with each other."

"Wow. That sounds tough. Is that why you don't want to go back home?"

The look in her eyes showed sympathy, and understanding.

"That's a large part of it."

"What's the other part?"

"She and my brother accused me of something."

"Was is true?"

"Not at all."

"So they hurt you."

"They betrayed me."

"Was it really that bad?"

He looked at her, anger starting to build. Recognizing the look on his face, she continued. "I'm not trying to question you, or make what they did ok, I'm on your side." She touched his face. "I'm just trying to understand where you're coming from." Lizzy gave him a soft smile. "I know personally, there have been times I let things blow way out of proportion with my family. Simply because they are my family, and they can't just leave. There have been times they got my worst, not my best. But somehow, it always helped to pull us together instead of apart. I guess I'm lucky, not everyone's families are as understanding as mine."

She started to play with his hair while she was talking. Klaus closed his eyes taking in the feel of her, the scent of her. "I hope you can work everything out so you can be there for the birth. There's nothing like holding your baby for the first time." She smiled sadly. Another tear slipped from her eye before she could wipe it away.

Klaus pulled her close. Lizzy had been in his life for less then a day, but she understood him in a way that few people ever did. She trusted him, she believed in him, and she knew how to talk with him. That's all he'd ever wanted from anyone.


End file.
